Rivers are the main source of life, as fresh water is crucial for the survival of flora and fauna on Earth. However, many rivers are so polluted that they resemble giant floating garbage chutes. According to statistics, 90% of plastic entering the world's oceans comes from rivers.
It’s good that the articles don’t convey smells, because our rating contains the dirtiest rivers in the world. They are visible evidence of the adverse consequences of a thoughtless attitude towards nature.
10. Volga, Russia
Let's start the anti-rating with the river, which is located in our country. It has been ranked first on the list of the dirtiest rivers in Russia for several years now, and this is not an unfounded statement, but the opinion of experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology. About 38% of all Russian polluted waste flows into it.
In 2018, Rosprirodnadzor conducted a survey of the Volga banks with a length of 7,500 km. And experts have found that the biggest contribution to the slow murder of the river is made not by industrial enterprises, but by organizations from the housing and communal services sector. The total amount of damage caused to the Volga exceeded 1 billion rubles.
The main river of the largest river system North America has suffered enough human damage to be considered one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the world. Scientists call it one of the most polluted ecosystems on the planet. And the massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a prime example of them being right.
More than 5.7 million kilograms of toxic chemicals such as PCBs, mercury, fertilizers, etc. are dumped into Mississippi in just one year. And the main pollutants are benzene, mercury and arsenic.
The level of toxins in Mississippi water makes it dangerous not only for animals, but also for the people who consume it.
Millions of Filipinos who depend on the Marilao River for drinking and farming are now exposed to serious health risks due to high level water pollution.
Most of the pollutants entering the river are waste generated from tanneries and gold processing plants. Much of the river is now a giant dump of inorganic materials such as single-use plastic bags, cans and bottles. And the level of lead in the water is so high that it kills fish.
Like the Sarno River in Italy, the Marilao River also tends to flood, causing water pollution to spread to neighboring lands.
5. Yellow River, China
This river, whose waters have a yellowish tint, is where many businesses dump their waste. A report by the United Nations Environment Program found that 4.29 billion tons of industrial and sewage waste were dumped into the Yellow River in 1996. This makes the Yellow River water too toxic even for agriculture.
However, people still take water from the Yellow River and use it for bathing, drinking and other household purposes. It is because of this that in the 9 provinces of China through which the Yellow River flows, there is an increase in water-borne diseases. IN Lately Chinese authorities are trying to dissuade the population from drinking water from this river as it is unsafe for human or animal consumption.
4. Sarno, Italy
This is perhaps the most polluted river on the European continent. The Sarno source is clean and safe to drink. But as you move away from it, the amount of industrial and agricultural waste dumped into the river increases. And all this nasty stuff is sent through the Gulf of Naples straight into the Mediterranean Sea.
3. Yangtze, China
One is also one of the worst when it comes to a highly competitive group of the world's most polluted rivers. A deadly combination of overpopulation (480 million people live in the river basin), a completely consumerist lifestyle and poor waste management has resulted in around 333,000 tonnes of plastic waste being dumped into the East China Sea every year.
2. Ganges, India
The fact that this is the most sacred river in India does not prevent it from being one of the dirtiest on the planet. At the same time, it is the main source of water for 40% of the country’s population (over 500 million people).
Due to its high levels of sewage, chemicals and handicraft waste, Ganga water used for domestic purposes such as drinking, bathing or cooking is hazardous to life.
And here you can sometimes see a human corpse. On the banks of the Ganges, bodies are cremated and the ashes scattered over the water, but many poor Hindus do not have the luxury of burning the deceased on wood. Therefore, they limit themselves to setting fire to the raft on which the deceased lies and letting him go on his last journey along the sacred river.
1. Chintarum, Indonesia
For hundreds of years, this river, which flows near the Indonesian capital Jakarta, has contributed to the development of agriculture and fishing. It was the main source of water supply and even electricity production in West Java.
However, long-term proximity to 5 million people (about the same number of Indonesians live in the Chintaruma basin) has led the river to a terrible state. It is overflowing with industrial and household waste dumped into it. Almost any type of pollutant can be found here, such as plastic products, rubber, glass, metal, paints, chemicals, etc.
In many places in Chintaruma, the level of pollution is so high that the surface of the water is not visible at all under layers of garbage.
According to tests, the mercury content in the river is 100 times higher than the permissible level, and the lead level is 1000 times higher. Due to such an unimaginable scale of environmental disaster, the river is considered the dirtiest in the world.
Gone are the days when swimming in rivers and lakes was safe and enjoyable. We are increasingly peering into the water - are there any chemical stains there, is there something strange floating by?
Swimming in such bodies of water means, at a minimum, a bad smell, dirt, and even the risk of contracting unusual diseases, even death.
And places such as Lake Karachay or the Indian Ganges are generally world leaders in their pollution. Unfortunately, this list is constantly expanding. We will talk about the dirtiest bodies of water in the world below.
Citarum. On the Indonesian island of Java flows the most dirty river in the world. Its length is only 300 kilometers, but on its banks there are more than 500 factories, many of which are textile. They all dump their waste into Citarum. Garbage collection points simply do not exist here, nor do toilets in their modern form. But just 20 years ago it was a pristine river that served the people living on its banks. The citarum provided food for numerous canals that irrigated the surrounding fields, people fished here, and there was food for birds. Water was even taken for domestic needs. Today, due to waste emissions from nine million people and hundreds of factories, there are places on the river where the surface is not visible at all. Fish is out of the question - now only plastic bottles are caught here. Although diving into the murky waters of Citarum is dangerous to human health, people still swim here. Fishermen began to catch rubbish from the water, this is more profitable than the previous fishery. Garbage collectors earn $1-2 a day, but this carries the risk of illness. Dirty water goes into rice fields where it soaks into the soil. But the river is still a source of water for drinking and domestic needs. The decline was a result of the rapid growth of industry in the region in the 1980s. The negative effect will carry on further, because Citarum is one of largest rivers, feeding Lake Saguling. There the French built the largest hydroelectric power station in West Java. Experts believe that there will soon be so much garbage that the river’s full flow will decrease. As a result, the hydroelectric generator will no longer produce full power, which will lead to a lack of electricity for factories. Maybe this will at least allow the river to start breathing again.
Great North American Lakes. On the border between Canada and the United States there are huge lakes - Michigan, Erie, Huron, Superior and Ontario. But today they are quite dirty bodies of water, ahead of all others on the continent. Initially, lakes are natural wealth; there are not only many fresh water but also rich animal world. But man could not save the Great Lakes from typical environmental problems. The situation in them has deteriorated sharply due to the surrounding chemical plants, metallurgy, and oil refinery terminals. These industrial facilities supply the lakes with toxins, making the waters a real poisonous soup. The struggle of the governments of the USA and Canada for the cleanliness of the lakes has so far been unsuccessful. The largest freshwater lake on the planet by area, Verkhneye, has already changed its temperature regime. This leads to changes in wind directions and currents, which will change the appearance of a unique natural object.
Yangtze. The Chinese river is the third longest in the world after the Nile and the Amazon and the longest in Asia with 6,300 kilometers. But in the WWF ranking it firmly ranks first, only according to such a controversial criterion as the dirtiest river in the world. The fact is that 17 thousand Chinese cities on the banks of the Yangtze do not have a purification system. That is why all waste is dumped into a giant river. But for largest metropolises countries - Shanghai, Wuhan and Nanjing The Yangtze is the only source of water. That is why the condition of this river is an urgent problem for China itself. About 500 million people live on the banks of the river; it contains 40% of the country's total water reserves. The authorities themselves say that the water quality is generally good. But the volume of polluted water in the Yangtze is 34 billion tons. But according to officials, this is small relative to the trillion tons of annual runoff. And every year this figure increases by 2 percent. On the banks of the river there are 400 thousand chemical plants, 5 large steel complexes and 7 oil refineries. In addition, about 300 thousand tons of dangerous goods such as oil, liquid gas, fuel oil, and gasoline are transported along the river every day.
Lake Onondaga. This American lake is located in New York state, near Syracuse. In the USA itself, a natural reservoir is designated as extremely dangerous place. But at the end of the 19th century along coastline many resorts were built. But the industrial revolution and the growth of cities led to the massive discharge of dirty water here, which led to the degradation of the lake. Today, nitrates, phosphates, mercury and dangerous bacteria are present in abundance here. In 1901, authorities banned the collection of summer from Onondaga, and in 1940 they banned swimming here. In 1970, mercury pollution led to a fishing ban. The law adopted in 1973 did not help either clean water and the closure of major industrial polluters in 1986, as well as the installation of treatment systems. Only in our time, fish and birds are gradually returning to the lake and the content of chemicals in the water has decreased. But complete victory is still far away.
King River. This river is the dirtiest in Tasmania. And the reason for this phenomenon was a copper mine that began working at the end of the 19th century near Queenstown. For decades, millions of tons of waste were dumped into the water, and smoke from the pipes caused acid rain in the area. This water also flowed into the King River. Before 1995, about 1.5 million tons of sulfides were discharged into the river annually. Even the closure of the mine did not change the situation much - after all, heavy waste is located at the very bottom of the King River. In total, people dumped about one hundred million tons of waste into the river.
Yellow River. The famous Chinese Yellow River is the second largest in the country with an indicator of 5464 kilometers. The yellow color of its waters is due to sediment. But today the color of the water has already turned brown, and in some places red. It's all because of the chemicals that neighboring factories dump into the river. The constant installation of dams and changes in the flow of the Yellow River leads to its drying out in some sections. And fast growing Chinese cities only make the situation worse. In 2008, a report was officially published saying that severe pollution had rendered a third of the river completely unsuitable for agricultural or industrial use. Every year, 4.3 billion tons of waste are dumped into the Yellow River, with industry accounting for 70% and households accounting for 23%. This is twice as much as was dumped into the river in the 80s and exceeds the river’s ability to restore its balance on its own. Even the economic damage from such pollution has been calculated - up to 15 billion yuan annually. The water of the Yellow River is actively used agriculture, which takes up to 90% of all water used. As a result, the health of farmers is at risk, and additional money has to be spent on filtration.
Lake Victoria. Three countries have access to this unique body of water - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. As a result, there are disputes about who should take care of the lake. The reservoir found itself without an owner, and although there are rules for local residents and guests, no one follows them. Someone washes their car here, and neighboring settlements and businesses secretly discharge wastewater. And this despite the fact that people swim and fish in the lake. Meanwhile, the situation with water pollution is already so serious that contact with it can cause cholera, diarrhea and severe skin diseases. Algae is rapidly multiplying in the lake, and about half of the fish population has already disappeared.
Sarno River. Many call this river in central Italy not only the dirtiest in the country, but also in Europe in general. The Sarno passes through Pompeii and carries its waters into the Gulf of Naples. Chemical fertilizers from fields and city wastewater come here. The measures taken by the authorities are not yielding results. But the waters of Sarno are still used for irrigation. In addition, the river often floods, which further aggravates the environmental situation in the surrounding lands.
Mississippi. The main river of North America flows through 10 American states. Initially, the river valley, covered with a thick layer of silty sediments, was a very fertile place. Only three hundred years have passed since the Europeans came here. Now the continent's largest waterway is being poisoned by human activity. Until recently, the river purified its own waters, but industrial runoff and agricultural activity have significantly undermined the health of the Mississippi. Today the river carries toxic wastewater, containing millions of cubic meters of waste and harmful bacteria. Chlorine-containing hydrocarbons enter the river from the atmosphere. Oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon, as well as industrial waste, household chemical products, and pesticides are abundantly present in the waters of the Mississippi. Once there, they settle to the bottom, mix with silt, becoming part of the fish’s diet. It is no coincidence that in many places fishing it is generally prohibited here. Below Minneapolis, the waters of the “Big Muddy” - Missouri - also flow into the Mississippi. In the lower reaches, petrochemical plants cause harm to the river. As a result, in Louisiana you can see huge oil spills on the river. In the last big city in Mississippi and New Orleans, in the 70s and 80s there was a surge in cancer diseases. Drinking raw water here is strictly not recommended. And the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico generally appears to be a real “death zone.” Not only is this where all the garbage ends up, but because of it there is also a low oxygen concentration. This makes it impossible for aquatic organisms to live here.
Karachay. In the twentieth century, a new type of pollution appeared - radioactive. A classic example of such inhumane treatment of nature is Lake Karachay in Chelyabinsk region, Russia. Since 1948, the Mayak plant began operating on the banks of the reservoir, which processed waste radioactive materials. Since 1951, this facility began to be used for storing waste liquid waste not on the Techa River, as before, but on Lake Karachay. Currently, about 120 million curies of radioactive materials such as cesium and strontium have accumulated there. Over time, it was decided to fill the lake completely, which was started in 1986, but was never completed. Today, the coast of Karachay is almost the most dangerous place in the world. It is believed that an hour's stay here can kill a person. True, filling up the lake will not completely eliminate the problem, because the groundwater will continue to become contaminated.
Ganges. home Indian river It is the third most abundant in the world. Since ancient times, it has been considered sacred for Hindus; pilgrimages are made to it, but at the same time, cremations and ritual ablutions are performed on the banks of the Ganges. Today the river is considered one of the dirtiest rivers in the world. But the health and lives of more than 500 million people living in its basin depend on the waters of the Ganges. Starting from the very upper reaches, the river becomes dirty due to overpopulated cities and wastewater from numerous enterprises. In addition, the Ganges also overflows seasonally, collecting all the sewage and waste of human activity. Even swimming in the river, not to mention drinking, provokes various infectious diseases. For example, a site near the city of Varanasi contains 120 times more fecal enterobacteria than allowed. It's not actually a river, but a brown court of excrement and runoff. In this sacred place the dead are cremated, and many of the dead are simply thrown into the river. Every year, 1.5-3 million people, mostly children, die from just swimming in the Ganges and subsequent diseases. State plans the creation of treatment facilities failed. It’s good that the river has a long-known self-purification ability, simply preventing dangerous bacteria from multiplying above a certain level.
Ecological disaster on the rivers
The constant increase in human waste gives rise to its accumulation. And very often rivers are used as a means of removing them. When dumping waste into them, few people think about what environmental disasters this can lead to where this waste ends up accumulating. Governments of countries are struggling with these problems, but as practice shows, they are not always successful.
Buriganga (Beng. বুড়িগঙ্গা, Old Ganges), Bangladesh
Flows near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. One of the branches connecting the Ganges with the Brahmaputra. The depth of the river is on average 12 meters, in the deepest part - 28 meters.
This river is considered almost the dirtiest of all the rivers on the planet. It is so dirty that water from it cannot be used even for technical purposes. Despite the legal ban on dumping waste into this river, no less than 1.5 million cubic meters of waste are dumped into it every day. The river is considered biologically dead.
Citarum (Walungan Citarum), West Java, Indonesia
The river flows near Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This is where the waste of a city of 9 million ultimately ends up. Previously, there was fish in this river, but now it is no longer there.
Collecting garbage from the river and handing it over to collection points has become one of the types of work in the capital. Despite the $500 million loan issued by the Asian Development Bank in December 2008, it is clear that this river will not be brought back to its pristine purity very soon.
Jamna (Yamuna, Jumna, Yami; Hindi यमुना IAST yamunā), India
The Jumna is the largest tributary of the Ganges, flowing in India, its total length is 1376 km. It originates in the Himalayan mountains, not far from the Yamunotri sanctuary. It flows through the Indian states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the capital Delhi. In addition to Delhi, the cities of Mathura and Agra are located on the Jumna. Near the city of Allahabad, the Yamuna flows into the Ganges, forming the Sangam, sacred to Hindus.
About 58% of the capital's waste is dumped into this river, making it one of the most polluted rivers in the world. The government's efforts to avoid polluting the river and clean it up have so far been unsuccessful.
Marilao, Philippines
The main pollution of this river is from household waste. All the garbage that ends up in it is the result of local residents dumping their waste.
Moreover, the waters of this river contain toxic chemicals such as chromium, cadmium, copper and arsenic, which makes the river extremely poisonous. Despite the fines, people continue to dump their garbage into it, which in no way contributes to cleaning the river.
Ganges, India
The Ganges extends from the Himalayas to Indian Ocean across India and Bangladesh. The length of this river is 2510 kilometers. The development of industry, the growth of population in coastal areas, which dumps their waste into it, have a very detrimental effect on the ecology of the river.
As a result of environmental deterioration and river pollution, the number of waterborne diseases, including cholera, hepatitis, typhus and dysentery, is increasing. About 80% of health problems and a third of deaths in this region are due to water pollution.
Dirty rivers in China
Songhua, China
Songhua is the largest tributary of the Heilong River, flowing in Northeast China. In November 2005, the river was contaminated with benzene, which led to the closure of Harbin's water supply.
"Yellow River(eng. Yellow River), Lanzhou, China
The Yellow River is one of the most long rivers China, second longest. It is the main source of drinking water for millions of people living in northern China. The main problem of river pollution is the oil slicks that cover it.
Mississippi, USA
Mississippi is a river in the USA, one of the greatest rivers in the world. The length of the river is 3,770 kilometers. Originates in Lake Itasca, at an altitude of 450 meters above sea level in National Nature Reserve Itasca (Minnesota), flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Mississippi is one of the important economic and natural resources of the United States. The main pollution is the 1.5 million metric tons of nitrogen discharged through it annually into the Gulf of Mexico.
The dirtiest river in Europe
Sarno(Sarno,lat. Sarus), Italy
This river is a stream that passes through Pompeii to the south of the city of Naples. It is considered the most polluted river in Europe. Draining mud into the waters of the Bay of Naples degrades the quality of sea water.
Royal River(eng. Kings River), Australia
This river is the most polluted river in Australia. The waste from the mining industry pouring into it gradually pollutes it. 1.5 million tons of sulfides have entered the river every year since 1995.
Swimming in these places can be very dangerous because the purity of the water leaves much to be desired. Swimming in them poses a risk of contracting disease, stench, and sometimes even death. Places like the Indian Ganges or Lake Karachay are famous all over the world for their levels of pollution. However, there are places on Earth where human contact with water does not contribute to health. Here is a list of the dirtiest rivers in the world. Find out where not to swim.
1. Kitarum, Java island:
On the island of Java in Indonesia flows the dirtiest river in the world - Citarum, 300 km long, on the banks of which there are more than 500 factories that dump industrial waste into it. This makes the Citarum the most polluted river in the world. There are places where, due to garbage, you can’t even see the surface of the water, and instead of fish you can only catch a plastic bottle. In addition, diving into the dark waters of this river poses a serious threat to human health, but people continue to swim here.
2.Great North American Lakes, USA 
The lakes on the border between Canada and the United States - Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario - are among the most polluted bodies of water on the American continent. Chemical plants, oil refineries, metallurgical plants and chemical fertilizers are to blame. Toxins from a variety of sources make these lakes a toxic soup that the governments of the United States and Canada have been trying to combat for years.
3. Yangtze River, China
This is the longest river in Asia and the third after the Amazon and the Nile, with a length of 6300 km. The Yangtze ranks first in the WWF ranking of the 10 dirtiest rivers in the world because more than 17,000 Chinese cities do not have treatment facilities and all waste migrates along the river. For cities such as Shanghai, Wuhan and Nanjing, this river is the only source of water, making its condition one of China's biggest problems.
4.Onondaga Lake, USA 
Located near Syracuse, New York, Onondaga Lake is so polluted that it has been designated an extremely hazardous site in the United States. Phosphates, nitrates, mercury and extremely dangerous bacteria clearly indicate the development of industry in the region. Swimming in sewage can be fatal.
5.King River, Tasmania 
King River in Tasmania is the dirtiest river in Australia. Here the cause is coal mines. Before 1995, millions of tons of waste flowed directly into the river, and smoke from factory chimneys caused acid rain. Currently the situation has not improved much - the river is still toxic because the waste from the mines is at the bottom of the river.
6. Lake Tai, China
The shores of Lake Tai in eastern China have been “occupied” by over 3 thousand factories. The third largest reservoir of the Middle Kingdom is also one of the most polluted. Several billion dollars have already been spent to save Lake Tay, where industrial waste and sewage sludge must be removed. In addition, the entire surface of the lake is covered with a thick layer of algae, which impedes the access of oxygen, and thus leads to the extinction of the fish living in it. By the way, there are tent rentals nearby, you can throw a party or just relax.
7.Yellow River, China 
The Yellow River (Yellow River) is the second largest river in China - its length is 5464 km in length, and the yellow color of the river's water comes from loess deposits. But now the color has turned brown and sometimes even red - all due to chemicals leaking from nearby factories. Due to frequent changes in flow and the installation of new dams, not many sections of the river dry up, and rapidly developing cities increase the level of water pollution. This in turn is a huge problem because it is the only source of water for millions of Chinese.
8.Lake Victoria, Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda 
Three countries have access to the lake, and so there is a dispute over who should take care of it. There are several rules for residents and guests of Lake Victoria, but no one adheres to them - cars are washed here, sewage is drained, but they also swim and fish here. And everything is so serious that contact with this water can lead to cholera, diarrhea and severe skin diseases.
9. Sarno River, Italy 
The Sarno River in central Italy is the most polluted river in Italy, and probably also in Europe. Chemical fertilizers from the fields, as well as city wastewater, regularly poison the Sarno, and measures taken to protect the river are insufficient. The Sarno often spills, which further contributes to the pollution of the land along its course.
10.Mississippi, USA 
The Mississippi River flows through 10 US states and is the mother of all American rivers. It is also an extremely toxic wastewater that brings in millions of cubic meters of germs, toxins and waste. The mouth of the Gulf of Mexico is a real "death zone" - not only because of pollution, but also because of the low oxygen concentration, for this reason there are no aquatic organisms here.
There is only one thing that can be said to all this: “The closer a person is to nature, the more terrible the consequences!!!”
Environmentalists tirelessly say that the world is on the verge of a water crisis. But despite such depressing prospects, humanity is in no hurry to change its attitude towards water resources. Some reservoirs are so polluted that it is no longer possible to bring them back to life. We present to your attention the ten dirtiest rivers in the world:
1. Citarum River, Indonesia
This is not a garbage dump - it is a river, which, by the way, is one of the main waterways of Indonesia. Agree, it is not for nothing that it is in first place on the list of the most polluted rivers in the world! The river flows next to the city of 9 million Jakarta, where there are no such luxuries as waste collection services or treatment systems - all waste is directly sent into the water. It’s hard to believe, but once upon a time Citarum was full of life. Today, the water is practically invisible due to a thick layer of garbage, and local residents have already forgotten that there was once fish there.
2. Yamuna River, India
The Yamuna is the largest tributary of the Ganges, flowing through the Indian states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and also crosses the capital of New Delhi, which dumps about 60% of all the garbage produced by the city into the river. The Indian government is trying to solve the problem of pollution of the Yamuna and even invests a lot of money in this good cause, but all efforts to clean the river are in vain.
3. Ganges River, India
It is no wonder that the Ganges itself, given the deplorable state of its tributaries, ended up on the “black” list. The rapid growth of India's population, the development of industry in the absence of modern treatment systems - these factors certainly have a detrimental effect on the condition of the country's main river. In response, the Ganges “rewards” the local residents with diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, typhus and dysentery. About 80% of all health problems and a third of deaths in India are due to poor quality water.
4. Buriganga River, Bangladesh
The Buriganga is another “metropolitan” river, flowing near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The Buriganga is rightfully considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world: its water cannot only be drunk, but even used for technical purposes. Despite the country's ban on dumping waste into rivers, about 1.5 million cubic meters of industrial waste enter Buriganga every day. It is clear that with such an attitude, this river has long turned into a biologically dead canal.
5. "Yellow River", China
The Yellow River, the second largest river in China, is the source of drinking water for millions of people in Northern China. True, how the population manages to use this resource for domestic purposes is completely unclear, because the Yellow River is heavily polluted with petroleum products.
6. Marilao River, Philippines
The waters of this river are not just polluted - they are life-threatening, as they contain various toxins such as chromium, cadmium, copper and arsenic. Despite the authorities' attempts to curb Marilao's pollution through a system of fines, the local population, as well as numerous businesses, continue to shamelessly use the river as a dumping ground.
7. Songhua River, China
The river in northern China, the largest tributary of the Amur in terms of water content, flows into it from the right downstream. The cities of Jilin, Harbin, and Jiamusi are located on the Songhua River. In November 2005, the Songhua was contaminated with benzene. An environmental disaster has led to the closure of Harbin's water supply.
8. Mississippi River, USA
This greatest river in the world has also not escaped the fate of pollution. Being the main economic and natural resource for the United States, Mississippi contributes thousands of tons of nitrogen pollution to the Gulf of Mexico every year.
9. River Sarno, Italy
The Sarno flows south from Pompeii and empties into the Gulf of Naples at Castella Mare di Stabia. Large-scale dumping of untreated agricultural and industrial waste makes this river the most polluted in Europe.
10. Royal River, Australia
This river is treated in a completely unroyal manner: the waterway is polluted with chemical waste from the mining industry. Since 1995, about 1.5 million tons of sulfides have entered the Royal River each year.
